The use of a vehicle steering-wheel tilting assembly (VWTA) is well known in the prior art. In most vehicles the tilt angle of the steering wheel is selectively set by the vehicle driver by manually positioning a notched lever that is typically located on the steering wheel column.
Typically, a VWTA is designed to only be set in a driver-selected vehicle driving position. In some vehicles such as high performance vehicles, the VWTA also includes a driver-exit configuration that places the steering wheel in a substantially 90-degree displacement from the steering wheel column. In this position the driver can easily exit from the vehicle but the vehicle cannot be safely driven.
The problem with the prior art VWTA is that there is no way to lock the steering wheel in the driver-exit configuration. Therefore, any unauthorized person can release the steering wheel from the driver-exit configuration and place it in the driving configuration allowing the vehicle to be safely driven.
The instant invention solves the above-described problem by producing a lockable vehicle steering-wheel tilting assembly that includes means for locking the vehicle steering wheel in the driver-exit configuration. Thus, an unauthorized person is prevented from releasing the steering wheel from the driver-exit configuration in which position the vehicle cannot be driven.
A search of the prior art and industry literature did not disclose a lockable vehicle steering-wheel assembly that read on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
U.S. Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED6,802,193LongOct. 12, 20042002/0124681Hobaugh, IISep. 12, 20025,941,131FohiAug. 12, 1999
The 6,802,193 patent discloses a removable steering wheel device for permitting removal of a steering wheel to make the a vehicle undriveable. The device includes a steering wheel having a boss engageable with an upper end of a steering column of the vehicle. The boss includes a bore and a base wall at the bottom of the bore. A bayonet connection assembly removably connects the boss to the upper end of the steering column. A locking cap disposed within the bore fixes the bayonet connection between the boss and the upper end. The locking cap prevents rotation of the boss relative to the upper end. The 2002/0124681 patent discloses an apparatus that includes a steering shaft rotatable to turn steerable vehicle wheels. A steering wheel has a hub that is connected to an axial end of the steering shaft. A collet has a radially tapered outer surface that is engageable with a tapered surface on the hub and with the axial end of the steering shaft. A fastener connects the steering wheel to the steering shaft. The fastener applies force to the collet to force the radially tapered outer surface of the collet into engagement with the tapered surface defining the opening in the hub.
The 5,941,131 patent discloses a device for attaching a steering wheel on a steering shaft by a connecting sleeve, which is attached to the hub of the steering wheel. The steering shaft has a section with exterior splines, which are complementary to interior splines in the connecting sleeve. The connecting sleeve also has an axial slot that is clamped by a clamping screw against the section of the splined steering shaft.